You're Going To Fix Them
by The Gray Ghost
Summary: Picking up the story after Stable Boy.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I own no part of the Once Upon A Time universe, settings or characters. No money will be made from this story.**_

**AN: **Story picking up right after Stable Boy. It isn't technically AU yet, but once the new episode airs it will be. Different parts of it will be told with the focus mostly on a certain character, and when it switches, I'll put the character's name as a heads up. Reviews are very appreciated, but by no means feel obligated.

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**Emma Swan.**

Relief was the most obvious thing on Emma's face as she escorted her friend towards the station door. Not the only thing, though. Beneath that cover of relief stirred stress, confusion, exhaustion and a whole mess of other emotions that had to deal with the case. Despite all of it, she could honestly say she was doing ok, at least specific to that moment.

"Glad we can finally let you out of here."

Mary Margaret nodded, a smile offering the gratitude she had already expressed with more words than were necessary. She was obviously tired and would probably need to just have time to chill at home for the rest of the night. Still, as Emma studied her face it seemed like there was something else going on. There was a time for everything, and she held back prying, leaving it as a mental note for later. Besides, other than letting an innocent person out, there was still a lot left to the investigation. Emma glanced at the clock as they walked through the station.

"School just got out, but I bet you can visit your class tomorrow."

"Visit?"

"Yeah well, there's still the matter of Kathryn's initial disappearance. You're not being charged with anything but as a precaution right now the school has to hold off on you returning until the entire case is settled."

"Oh..." Mary Margaret's tone was understanding, albeit slightly disappointed. Emma was glad she took the news concerning her job well.

They reached the door and Emma extended her arm towards the handle. Mary Margaret suddenly reached forward and grabbed Emma's hand, slightly suprising the sheriff and stopping her from opening the door.

"Is someone out there?"

Emma noticed fear in Mary Margaret's voice and when she looked at her it seemed like the woman was nearly desperate for an answer.

"What? No one's out there." Emma did her best reassuring voice as she watched for a reaction.

"I'm sorry." Mary Margaret seemed to immediately relax. "I just..." In her usual way, it took her a moment to find the right words, and when she had them she offered a small smile. "I just don't think I'm up to talking to anyone."

"By anyone do you mean David?" Emma waited a second, letting Mary Margaret affirm that with her expression. Emma thought back to the last conversation she'd had with him. "I don't think he'll be coming by."

"Ok." Mary Margaret nodded and faced the door once again, but her face hadn't changed.

"But that's not it, is it? At least not completely."

"Emma, I'm fine, look I just want to go home."

In most cases she would press further but Emma backed off. She'd give her time to rest. Whatever was bothering her friend could be dealt with another day.

As soon as they stepped outside, Mary Margaret had a recording device shoved towards her face, causing her to startle backwards a couple steps.

"Care to comment on your situation?"

"Uh..." Before she could even process anything, Emma was already between her and Sydney.

"Go, Sydney."

"Look, the public has a right-"

"A right to what? To know how a listening device was placed inside the vase of flowers that you delivered to my station?"

Emma didn't back down. Sydney did. After trying to hide a surprised expression, his voice dropped from confident and pressing to very unsure. As he spoke his eyes averted Emma's and he shook his head defensively.

"I don't know any-"

"Go." Emma pushed past the stunned reporter with Mary Margaret at her side. As they reached Emma's car she called back over her shoulder, "Don't leave town."

"Thank you." Mary Margaret said as she sat down in the passenger's seat of the yellow bug.

Emma got into the driver's seat, let out a sigh, and was about to close the door when a loud screech suddenly cut through the air, followed by a large bang and metal crumpling, and like an echo another screech or two and softer banging of metal followed.

"Oh my God."

Horror and surprise crossed Mary Margaret's face, and Emma likewise as they exchanged looks.

Her friend was still in shock, but Emma was always an action type. She quickly grabbed her keys out of her pocket and then tossed them towards Mary Margaret. Her reaction time was slow and the keys fell to the floor by her feet.

"What are you doing?"

"My job. You go home."

Mary Margaret hesitated and then nodded, picking up the keys and exiting the car to switch seats.

The crash sounded like it had come from very close, a few streets over maybe. Emma hurried over in that direction, hardly bothering to notice if streets were clear as she crossed them. Soon she could hear sirens which told her that the ambulance was already alerted and on their way. Emma was just about sprinting when she reached the scene.

Three cars were jumbled in a mess, pushed half way up on the side walk. That meant there could have been pedestrians injured too. Another car was a short distance away from those three but looked about as banged up. They were spread out, and it looked like the main point of contact was at the turn. She took note, but it didn't hold her attention long. After noting the cars, she began to look around at the people.

Some were clearly panicked, and while not helpful that was to be expected. Most people around were just watching from a distance, at their houses or businesses. A man unfamiliar to Emma seemed to have taken charge, instructing a few others in searching. One person she did recognize in the organized chaos was Ruby, who was comforting someone that was on the ground clutching their legs, and another person Emma recognized was August, who was helping a limping woman away from a car and up to the curb. Emma guessed the man giving orders had been there when it happened, since he would have had more time than the others to get out of shock and think through things. She made sure to take an extra glance at him as she passed him so she would remember to question him later.

August turned around from helping the hurt woman sit down and ran over to block Emma. She looked up at him with a confused expression.

"Emma, wait."

"What are you doing, I need to get through here." Her eyes looked past him and when she tried to side step around him he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back in front of him.

"Emma." He said her name more sternly, but lower in volume. She looked at him, searching his face, and could tell there was something wrong, something more that she didn't know.

"What?"

She didn't have the patience to wait for an answer. As soon as the word shot from her lips she pulled herself away from him and walked on anyways. She picked up speed until she reached the cars and looked past the one in front of her to see that someone was on the ground in the middle of the mess. The person looked mangled, and had evidently lost a lot of blood. From the body's position to the cars it was probably a pedestrian crossing the street at the time.

August had followed her over. "Emma, please-"

"Oh my God, that's a kid." Emma ignored him, speaking very observationally although she was anything but calm on the inside. "That's..." Her eyes were wide and flickered rapidly between the body and the bag that lay side by side. Her voice came out in a sudden, choked tone.

"It's Henry."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I own no part of the Once Upon A Time universe, settings or characters. No money will be made from this story.**_

**AN: **Story picking up right after Stable Boy. It isn't technically AU yet, but once the new episode airs it will be. Different parts of it will be told with the focus mostly on a certain character, and when it switches, I'll put the character's name as a heads up. Reviews are very appreciated, but by no means feel obligated.

* * *

The ambulance trucks, three of them, were just arriving at the scene. August was holding Emma back as she was trying to rush over to where Henry laid.

"Emma." August tried getting her attention, not letting her go and once more placing himself directly between her and Henry. "Emma! Stop. We have to wait." She pushed harder against his chest, demanding with everything but words for him to let her go. He did but he held his arms up and stepped to the side as she did, still blocking her way. "We have to wait for the ambulance. There's nothing you can do to help him right now." Emma finally looked up at August, really hearing what he was saying. "We have to wait."

Her breathing became fast and shallow and she shook her head in disbelief. Her eyes left his face and went back to the boy's body. August watched her face for a moment longer before noticing the EMTs asking for direction to the most seriously injured. August walked away from Emma to motion them over towards Henry.

A medical team rushed past Emma with a stretcher. With everything else going on around her, all she could do was watch. A paramedic instructed the others and they moved like a smooth machine, carefully lifting and placing Henry's body onto the gurney. Emma still didn't move. She felt paralyzed. At first she had refused to look away, now she didn't think she could if she tried.

But she had to. Her eyes followed them until they loaded Henry into the ambulance and then she gave herself a hard mental push to go.

**August W. Booth.**

August looked over at Emma as she flashed her badge and then followed them onto the ambulance truck. His eyebrows pressed together in worry. Instead of attempting to follow as well, however, he carried on with what he'd been doing before. He knew that the most he could do to help her was help with the situation. From what he could tell, it sounded like everyone who had been in any of the cars were accounted for, so now he was helping load people onto the ambulance trucks.

The four cars involved in the wreck totaled eight people, plus two injured pedestrians. He wasn't sure about the status for everyone involved. A few people had been lucky and were just scratched up. One person, the man Ruby had been helping, had crushed legs, and another person had head trauma and was currently unconscious. He helped close the back of one ambulance truck that was ready to go, and as he turned back around he noticed Ruby sitting on a curb a short distance away. She was crying and holding her arms in a self comforting way. A lot of the people in town had stopped watching and started helping after the ambulance had arrived, so August took the opportunity to go over to Ruby.

When she noticed him walking over she turned her face from him. She looked ashamed that someone caught her crying. He sat next to her, keeping a small distance away. He placed his hand lightly on her back in a comforting way, and could feel her shaking from trying to suppress her sobbing.

As soon as he had made contact, the girl turned back towards him and buried her face against his shoulder. His body tensed, but he didn't move away. For the first time he noticed there was blood on her hands and clothes. Like himself, she'd been one of the first there to help pull people out of their cars. He let her use him for support as she cried for a few minutes until it seemed as if she was calming down.

"Come on, I'll help you to Granny's." He spoke softly to the top of her head. She moved her face from his shoulder and looked up. Her eyes were tear-stained red and she looked very uneasy. He knew it was unlike her, but understandably so. He offered a comforting smile and gestured left with his head. "Come on."

He held his hands beneath her arms as she stood and once she was up he wrapped an arm around her to help guide her. Ruby was a strong woman, but she had been through a lot in a very short time. Finding the heart in a box, stumbling across a supposedly dead person, and now watching people nearly die right down the street from the diner.

When they reached Granny's, he drew his arm back to his side and she walked up to the door. Before going inside she turned back towards him.

"Thank you."

Her words were sincere, but she looked down and away. His eyes kept watching her face.

"You know, even the strongest people have to let themselves break down sometimes."

He had caught her attention, and she looked up at him.

"It just means they're human," His head shook slightly matching his words. "and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

Ruby smiled and nodded, a little closer to her normal self as she turned and walked inside.

August turned back towards the crash site but instead of going directly back to it, veered right and found his motorcycle a short distance away. He grabbed his helmet and fastened it as he sat onto the leather seat and soon was headed off.

He arrived at the hospital and parked as close as he could manage to the emergency room entrance. As he walked in the direction of the door, he looked towards the private entrance nearby and saw that all three ambulance trucks had arrived back and were unloaded.

When he got inside, he passed through a small foyer with a welcome desk. The woman at the desk was preoccupied with writing something on a slip of paper and didn't seem to notice him. After that he entered a room that he recognized as a waiting room. The room was filled and very busy. An unorganized gathering of different families, friends, nursing aids, and a couple of patients that were waiting for their turn. His eyes jumped from person to person until he found Emma sitting in the chair that was nearest to the ICU. Her elbows were on her knees and her face was buried in her hands. The chair to her left was occupied, so August settled for crouching down on her right. She must have heard him because she looked up from her hands. He was slightly surprised when she did; he had assumed she'd been hiding her face because she was crying, but there was no sign that she had been at all.

"Hey.." She hadn't expected him to be there.

"Hey, any word on him yet?"

Emma shook her head. "Not yet. I've tried getting an update, but they're not letting anyone back who's not on staff."

August nodded and opened his mouth about to speak, when a familiar, angry voice announced itself to the entire room.

"Where's my son?"

Regina stormed into the room. The woman from the front desk was shouting something that went ignored. August stood back up straight, and took a moment to look away from her and back to Emma, who was watching the mayor. Looking back at Regina, he noticed that beneath the initial anger of not getting her way, she did seem legitimately worried.

"Will somebody tell me-" She cut off her words when she noticed Emma. Her expression showed contempt that Regina didn't bother hiding. "Miss Swan," she said in an annoyed tone as she walked over towards them. As Regina approached, Emma stood.

"Regina."

"What are you doing here?"

"Excuse me?" Emma's tone wasn't at all aggressive, but she never was one to back down as far as Regina was concerned.

"Why are you here? Why do you insist on not doing your job?"

"I'm here for the same reason as you, Regina, and you know it."

The two women were standing only inches apart, and August watched them carefully at first. His attention turned away from them as the doors to the ICU opened. A nurse came out and faced the room of people.

"Henry Mills."

Emma and Regina both stepped toward the nurse, though Regina made certain she took the front.

"Yes." They answered simultaneously. Regina then added, with authority, "_I'm_ his mother."

The nurse offered a weak smile, making it was obvious that the tension between the two women before her made her nervous. She looked back and forth between them for an uneasy moment.

"Hello?" Regina demanded the woman get on with it. "Where is my son, I'm not just standing by any longer." She was pushing her impatience forward, and though she tried to have it all together at all times, a shake in her voice betrayed her. The nurse settled on looking at her then, and the previous attempt at a polite smile faded.

"I'm sorry..." The nurse's face gave away the rest before she had a chance to finish her sentence. She finished it anyways. "He didn't make it."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I own no part of the Once Upon A Time universe, settings or characters. No money will be made from this story.**_

**AN: **Story picking up right after Stable Boy. It isn't technically AU yet, but once the new episode airs it will be. Different parts of it will be told with the focus mostly on a certain character, and when it switches, I'll put the character's name as a heads up. Reviews are very appreciated, but by no means feel obligated.

* * *

**David Nolan.**

_earlier that day_

A bowl of soggy, uneaten cereal was on the table in front of David. Instead of eating, he just fiddled with his spoon. He was lost in his thoughts; mulling over the events of the past few days. Kathryn wasn't home and that entire situation would only continue to grow more confusing. Neither of them had wished to mend their relationship before her accident, so he didn't assume they would now. Where could she go home to, though? It wasn't his business really, but he couldn't help wondering. He was very relieved that Kathryn had been found alive. As someone he'd spent a lot of time with, someone he had a history with, she was someone David cared for.

But he was also relieved because of how it changed the situation for Mary Margaret. It was like...

It was like a miracle.

He could not get that thought to go away. No matter which way he approached the events, it all came back to that. And he knew it would keep going back to that until he got answers. He picked up the still full bowl and placed in the sink while internally arguing whether or not to go. After a minute longer of thinking it over, he wasn't sure why he had wrestled with it as much as he did. He knew he had to get some answers. It took him another twenty minutes to get ready and then he headed into town.

The pawn shop's bell rang as David stepped inside. The first time he had ventured inside of the dimly lit building, he'd been mesmerized by all the trinkets and vintage artifacts and other such miscellaneous items. In particular, a rather charming unicorn mobile had grabbed his attention, as well as the windmill which then triggered his memories to return.

Today he had very little interest in any of the treasures of the shop. He headed straight towards the back counter where the owner stood polishing what looked to be a small, old metal pot or bowl. David paid little attention to it. His focus was on Mr. Gold.

"Mr. Nolan. What can I do for you?" The man looked back down at whatever he was polishing.

"We need to talk."

"Do we? What about?"

Mr. Gold's slight smile indicated he knew exactly what. David hesitated. There was something unsettling about the prospect of questioning the pawnbroker.

"Kathryn."

"Ah yes. It is... fortunate she's returned."

"Yeah, it is. Where was she?"

"In the alley."

David was a very patient person, but he was obviously getting slightly frustrated.

"Before that. Where was she before they found her in that alley?"

Mr. Gold looked up from the item in his hands. David was more reassured in his words now that he was certain he had the man's attention.

"I know that you know something about it."

"Whatever do mean?"

David placed his hands on the counter and leaned in a bit.

"Look, we made a deal! I deserve to know the details about it."

"That's not how I operate." Mr. Gold smirked. David looked at him suspiciously and pressed further on it.

"I came in here, asking you for help proving Mary Margaret was innocent, and the next day... Kathryn..." David looked away for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Alive..." The way he said it was heavy with both surprised and relieved. "You can't tell me those are unrelated." His eyebrows were raised in an expectant way.

"I'd say you got the miracle you were looking for." With that Mr. Gold looked back down at the metal object and picked it up, continuing to polish it. "Now please, leave me to my work."

David stepped back from the counter, at first not looking away. He wanted to say more, to know exactly what was going on. At this point, however, he had realized he wasn't going to find out anything more from Mr. Gold and he turned and walked out.

As he stepped outside, his thoughts immediately returned to Mary Margaret. He knew she was being released today. He wanted nothing more than to be there, to try and talk things out with her. To have a chance to explain himself. He considered going that way, but at the last minute changed his mind and headed right. Two blocks later he turned down a familiar trail and followed it. He was once again consumed in disordered thought and walked mostly on autopilot. After following the path through the woods, he ended up at Toll Bridge.


End file.
